Seemed appropriate for this forum. A friend at work inherited a small garage/service station with a paint booth when his father died. He doesn't run it as a business, but tinkers around with neighbors and friend's cars. I was walking by last week as he was talking to someone else about the garage and I circled back to listen. They were talking about sandblasting media.

I talked him out of a baggie full and took it camping last weekend. It was crushed walnut shells. I let my Ti pot dry and used a palmful and a small washcloth to scrub out the food residue. It worked great. I have read about using sand or small gravel to clean pots but dry, clean sand or gravel is not something you find laying around out here. I never thought about packing my own in.

Bad? part is, it costs $30 for a 15-pound bag. That's enough for two lifetimes. I'm going to check the next Cabela's catalog for abrasive media that they sell for polishing cartridge cases for reloading ammunition. It should be a smaller quantity and hopefully cheaper.

Best! part was that I did not have to tap into the water supply to wash up. And infinitely biodegradable. Bonus!

He also has crushed corncob; I thought it was too soft. Might be all right for the coated cookware though. For your consideration...

Most of the polishing compounds that I am familiar with contain more than just crushed walnut shells or corn cobs. Most of them contain at the least a compound called jewelers rouge and some of them other polishing facilitators as well. I don't know the chemistry of these additives but I suspect that they are not benign. I do know that they leave a residue on the polished surface. Plain soil seems a safer pot cleaner to me. I would use these compounds cautiously if at all.

Even better? I actually found a sponge at Wal-Mart in the camping section that is preloaded with camp suds, where you rip a section off. It is prescored and everything. For those who like a little woods friendly soap it is something to look into (or for car camping). It was under $2 if I remember...

Kids don't do so hot, eating out of bags. Need something little more durable, little less spilly, little less hole-pokey-leaky.

Pika - MSDS sheet for this particular brand lists milled walnut shells with no additives; also listed as a pet-food filler and natural cosmetic additive (exfoliant), among other things. Also finding many similiar items made from milled fruit pits.

Jimshaw - I have not found any scrubbies for dry use with no water, if you have a particular brand to recommend I will happily try it.

When you are packing their packs instead of packing ditty bags or whatever you put their stuff in, you can replace them with a medium sized plastic bowl and put stuff like clothes and other things inside the bowl (so that it does not take up any additional space) and it also should not add much weight to their packs either. Just a thought to help with your pokey holeys...sabre11004...

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The first step that you take will be one of those that get you there 1!!!!!

I don't know about you, but I think that if I have "no" water, I would be at least a little concerned. With that being said, I think that I am going to, from this day forward, use a diet of totally dehydrated food and only boil water when I am on the trail for more than a couple of days. This avoids any kind of clean up being necessary except for maybe wiping out my "Heinie" pot with a paper towel or whatever I have.. I think I will leave the gourmet cooking to car camping with the exception of maybe a special occasion...sabre11004

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The first step that you take will be one of those that get you there 1!!!!!

I don't worry about the water where my son and I hike 99% of the time - only in one small area do I pack in water - and we go there in winter so it isn't an issue. Everywhere else the water is cleaner than at home.On filtering I rarely do that either these days, I use MicroPur tablets.

Sounds like your needs are the same as anyone hiking in a desert with no water.

With proper meal planning, experience and practice very little of your total water consumption should go to washing dishes. We're talking ounces. And when the water has done its job you can dump it instead of carrying it out like the media.

_________________________If you only travel on sunny days you will never reach your destination.*

My favorite method is my tea (or coffee) bag. Something about the residual tea seems effective in removing anything I'm worried about(usually a little bit of grease). But since the next thing I'm going to do with the pot is boil water, I don't worry too much...mostly aesthetics and keeping the pot bag clean.

After camping above tree line in glaciated country for 40 years I now in Oregon, land of pine trees and moss. There was no sand on the McKenzie river to clean my pot with! I'm gonna start carrying a small pice of kitchen scratchy sponge.Jim

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These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.

phat, good idea but I don't need a bag to put my pan in. Is it still dual use if you don't need both uses? Besides wouldn't it get food smell on it and them onto the gear in my pack? Still a great suggestion though... Actually I use those expanded plastic grocery bags whenever I need a bag.Jim

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These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.